Saturday, August 05, 2017

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi appealed to the government to reconsider its decision to disinvest national carrier Air India. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Trivedi said, "We are proud of Air India. The problem is with its management by the government. It has the best staff. I urge the government to kindly reconsider the decision."
Trivedi also said the airline has made operational profits and that the problem lay in the airlines' management. He also said that Air India flights were running to capacity, but that all the most lucrative routes had been handed over to the private airlines instead of the national carrier. "I compare Air India with the AIIMS," Trivedi said adding that the premier health institution was bogged down by huge number of patients.
Noting that Air India has stood the test of time, Trivedi also said the airline has served the country well, evacuating Indians in times of need, and being the preferred carrier for the country's Prime Minister.
On Friday, CPI(M) MP MB Rajesh also urged the government to re-consider its decision of strategic disinvestment in the state-owned Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and said the move would be like killing the goose that gives golden eggs. Rajesh said BEML had contributed around Rs 6,500 crore in taxes and dividends to the government in the last ten years, and that privatisation of the unit would mean handing over a Rs 50,000 crore asset to private players.
04/08/17 Swati Mathur/Times of India